New York Kids
by C.K. degu
Summary: Somewhat AU. The Cullens in the Upper East Side, and Bella is the new student. Edward/Bella, Alice/Jasper, Emmett/OC.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: All characters belong exclusively to Stephanie Meyer. Other standard disclaimers apply.

New York Kids

By: C.K Degu

Chapter One: Welcome Home

The first day of school will always be the worst day for me. Especially when everyone knew everyone else. As I approached the iron black, ivy-adorned gates of Therese Allamane School for Girls, I could swear that my knees were shaking and my sweat was cold. And only because I was nervous. I was starting the middle of my junior year here in New York because my parents decided that it was time that I moved in with my sister, who was only just a senior herself. The only actual adults who supervised her were a maid that came in once a week, and a weekly call to my parents.

"Relax Bella, it's just school," she said to me this morning while I was slowly eating my Honey Stars. She had to go to school early and so leaving me to my own devices today, of all days.

"No it's not. It's cliques and rumors and gossip and all around---"  
"Bitchiness?"

"NO! Yes."

So the next thing I know, I'm standing in front of a totally new class. Everyone's staring at me. Which is strangely attentive for the average teenager. I know I looked a little too pale for New York, but that was not my fault. With skin like mine, I didn't tan. I just get red and then get sunburned.

"Introduce yourself," the teacher said in a very bored voice. Helpful.

"Uh…I'd rather not," I replied.

"Whatever. Sit down so I can start," he said, and then the lesson began. This had to be one of the worst days ever.

By lunchtime, I'd already met all the girls in my class. They were pretty nice, but it was still pretty awkward to be surrounded by such high-society girls. It made me feel a little out of place.

Within the same campus as Therese is St. Ignatius's School for Boys, and because the cafeteria food was basically like eating poison, everyone went out for lunch, including the boys.

"Well, hello there Mary," said one really good looking guy as he came towards my locker. Seeing as he called me by the wrong name, I didn't say anything at first, but then I realized he was actually talking to me.

"My name's Bella."  
"Exactly. Mary," he said with a boyish grin that would have made my heart melt if he wasn't so annoying. "Mine's Chris." I closed my locker door.

"I have to go," I said. He seemed very amused by me and laughed.

"I'll see you around then Mary."

"It's BELLA!" I yelled behind me as I scrambled out of there. I'd heard before that private school brats were exactly that, brats. But now I found out that they were seriously stupid.

I was just outside the school, crossing the courtyard, when suddenly a silver Volvo skidded to a stop in front of me, almost making me fall down on my butt. I glared at the driver, who glared at me too. He got out of the car and just glared at me. Oh WOW. He was gorgeous. With pale skin, a slim, strong physique and hair that looked a little like rusty bronze. And his eyes. Was it just me, or were they actually gold?

He seemed surprised to see me there, and neither of us could say a word. My mind seemed to have turned into mush at this point. I knew it was rude to stare and gape at him like this, but it was his fault for…dazzling me, I guess. His surprise seemed to turn into frustration as he continued to study my features, so I knew I had to stop staring at him. But I couldn't seem to look away. He was wearing a St. Ignatius uniform.

"Edward!" A musical voice behind me called, and I tore my eyes away from him and saw one of the girls in my class walking calmly, gracefully towards us. She saw me and smiled. I remembered her name was Alice Cullen. She was probably the most beautiful of the girls in our class and the nicest one I'd met so far.

"Bella!" She sad almost as excitedly, "where are you having lunch?"

"Oh, I'm supposed to have lunch with my sister at the steps of the MET," I said, my voice going up a little at that last word. I had no idea what MET meant exactly, but it seemed like Alice knew it well enough, because she nodded.

"Well, my brother Edward and I can drop you off if you like," Alice offered, "It's actually just a short walk there, but I'm sure Edward won't mind."  
We both turned to Edward automatically, and he just smiled.

WOW.

"No, it's alright, I can walk," I said, smiling, "thanks for asking though."

"Well, maybe next time then," Alice answered, walking towards the Volvo and as Edward got inside again. "I'll sit with you in Chem, if you don't mind." Alice sounded nice enough, but she was actually informing me of a fact, not asking. Which was better for me. I'd hate to be lonely during one of the most boring classes of the year.

"I'd like that," I simply answered. The Volvo pulled out.

Was it just me, or was Edward still staring at me?


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: All characters belong exclusively to Stephanie Meyer. Other standard disclaimers apply.

New York Kids

By: C.K Degu

Chapter Two: Monuments and Melodies

I managed to find the MET and my sister. She was sitting on the steps, laughing and joking with her friends, none of whom I recognized. But whoever they were, they looked like models. There was a big, muscular brunette boy sitting right next to her. There were also two blondes, one good looking boy and a devastatingly beautiful girl. My sister fit right in, with her pale skin, poised stature and ebony waves for hair. Having not seen her for at least a couple of years before, it was hard to think that she and I looked supposedly so alike when she left for Therese. I kind of felt out of place. I was just about to join them when I tripped on the stairs. They all turned to me, the others laughing.

"Bella! Come sit down," my sister exclaimed, hiding a smile. I shyly made my way to them, feeling them giving me a Manhattan once-over over and over. The big guy smiled amicably enough and so did the blonde senior guy. The blonde girl didn't look particularly pleased with me, but smiled a little. I sat down and brought out the sandwich I bought in a nearby deli.

"So, how's your first day at Therese been so far?" she asked me, grabbing a potato chip and chewing. The others seemed amused.

"Elizabeth, aren't you going to introduce us first?" The big senior beside her said. Elizabeth laughed.

"Oh yeah! How rude of me. Bella, these are my friends, Jasper," she said, gesturing towards the suave blonde boy. "And Rosalie Hale," she continued towards the blonde ice queen, who only gave me what I thought was a hint of a smile. No wait, not a hint. A ghost.

"And this," Elizabeth said, indicating the guy next to her, holding her hand. "This is Emmett Cullen, my…er…boyfriend."  
I could swear my jaw dropped when she said that. I turned to them and I could FEEL the weird expression on my face. How could she not tell us that she had a boyfriend? Was it so hard to say over the phone? Maybe the Cullen family wasn't so liked in social circles. It wouldn't be unlike her.

"Er…are you okay?" Jasper asked me, reaching for my shoulder. A cold jolt spread through my shoulder, calming me down a little, and I snapped out of it.

"Yeah, uhm, Cullen, you're Alice's brother?" I managed to say the first words that came into my head, stammering a little. Elizabeth was just too amused.

"Yeah," Emmett replied, "Alice and Edward are my sister and brother. Jasper and Rosalie actually, too."

"Oh?" I asked curiously. After which, the conversation started to flow a little, and I started to get more comfortable around them. They were all seniors, Emmett and Jasper studying in St. Ignatius's with Edward while Rosalie was a classmate of Elizabeth's at Therese.

The week then continued to progress normally. Alice was always with me in class, and so we started to kind of bond. Alice made me laugh a lot, and I liked to think that her smartness kind of rubbed off on me. Lunches were still spent with Elizabeth, Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper. Alice and Edward sometimes joined us as well. They were never without a good story to tell us, and by the second week of school, I pretty much knew the dirt on every single person in both Therese and St. Ignatius. Like today, Jasper was laughing his ass off about how one of the freshmen broke her teammate's leg from some lacrosse.

"And the funny ting is, they were fighting over the affections of some blonde senior boy!"

"And without a doubt, you assume that they were fighting over you," Rosalie pointed out, making Elizabeth and Emmett laugh.

"I wouldn't take it against them. And they already know that I have Alice."

"Yes, you do have me."

While the others continued to laugh, I turned to Edward, who was looking away from the conversation, a few steps below. Though he would sometimes walk with me and Alice, he was pretty much a quiet soul.

"Edward?" I asked him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he assures me with a smile. "Gossip just doesn't amuse me as much."

"How about you tell me something that does amuse you?"

And I would sit next to him, and our conversation would begin.

End of Chapter Two


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: All characters belong exclusively to Stephanie Meyer. Other standard disclaimers apply.

New York Kids

By: C.K Degu

Chapter Three: Mushaboom

Weeks after my first day of school, after I finished up with my sandwich, I went back to school, running, as it were, because I was late. Throwing on a raincoat and jamming a hat to my head, I made a run for it. Again, I was running across the courtyard when I hit a concrete wall. Lying on the floor, I felt my head was swirling. Since when was there a brick wall in the middle of the courtyard? My mind was swirling as I closed my eyes. I was seriously afraid to open them. Where's my hat? But then I heard a voice calling my name. It was very deep, very…sexy.

"Bella? Bella are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I said without opening my eyes.

"Then why are your eyes still closed?" A very amused reply right there from him, and I had to fight back a smile. I was pretty sure I was blushing though.  
"Oh, because I'm afraid that my world will fall out."

I hear a melodious laugh suddenly, I'm lifted. I was lighter than air, and I was floating. What the heck?

"Oh," I said, opening my eyes. Someone was carrying me. I look up and it was Edward. EDWARD CULLEN WAS CARRYING ME.

"Holy crap," I blurted out, gasping and covering my potty mouth. Edward laughed again. Wow. He looked really good from this point of view.  
"Why are you carrying me?" I asked him.

"You hit your head on something in the courtyard and you fell."  
"Yes, I remember that it was cold and concrete."

Was it just me, or did he wince a little bit when he heard me say that? Maybe my mind was getting seriously frazzled. I wasn't too sure. Edward made a little motion and his made me wrap my arms around his neck.

"Oooooh, Virgin Mary just became Mary Magdalene!" Chris said as he passed by the empty hallway. I shot him a dirty look.

"Virgin Mary?" Edward asked, still amused. He was walking pretty slowly, like he was afraid I would pass out or something.

"It's a long story that my head can't comf—under—uhm…it's a long story," I said, feeling no need to fully explain this to Edward right now. But I can find something else to talk about. "What the heck did I hit back there?"  
"In your words, something cold and concrete," Edward said.

"Yes, cold. Kind of like you. Did I bump into you?" I asked, looking up at him again. And then he looked a little upset. And also slightly panicked. It was weird that his emotions were so transparent. I could see it, the little frowns on his otherwise perfect face and each change of emotion. I didn't notice in anyone else.

"Edward?"  
"Here we are, the infirmary," he said, somehow managing to open the door. The white light seemed so soothing. And Edward smelled really good.

The last thing I remember is the nurse laughing at a bump on my head and Edward doing some form of exclamation as the darkness swirled around my face. Fun.

By the time I come around, the day was already over. Apparently school let out early today. I opened my eyes to adjust to the cream color of the ceiling and the glare of the lights. I slowly sit up and my head is no longer spinning. I sigh in relief. But before I could hop off the bed, I heard Edward say my name. It was almost too soft to register, but I'd caught it just as it escaped his lips.

"Bella!" Elizabeth exclaimed, jumping up off her chair and coming to me.

"You're up! You're breathing! Mom and dad aren't going to kill me!" Then she proceeded to hug the wind out of me, which wasn't unusual. My sister was affectionate sometimes overly so.

"Stop, you're cutting off circulation!" I exclaimed, pushing her away, embarrassed. Before my sister could retort, someone came into the room.

"She's awake?" I heard Emmett ask as he came in. Elizabeth was then occupied with telling him that I was alright. I looked at them and sighed a little. They did look good together, happily consumed in their own little bubble of happiness. They looked like the kind of couple that we saw in movies. He must have seen that, so Edward smiled and stood against the bed to join me.

"She's just happy to see you're alright," he reassured me.

"How would you know that?" I asked him curiously. He lightly tapped the side of his head.

"I'm pretty good at reading people."  
"Like an intuition?" I ask him curiously. Was it just me, or did the smile on his lips curve a little more, as if he was amused?

"Perception," he explained to me, and then the subject was closed. He offered his hand and helped me back on solid ground. I laughed to myself, and he gave me a curious look.

"I kind of forgot what it was like to be on land, after all that carrying you did," I explained, and that satisfied him.  
"It was the least I could do."  
"Edward, it's not your fault that I ran into you," I said, laughing it off. I was now sure of myself that Edward Cullen was the concrete wall I had bumped in to. He didn't look so happy with that.

"Bella, I was nowhere near you when you ran into the wall."  
I frowned at him. Why was he trying to make me think otherwise?

"Edward, please don't be a liar. You're too nice."  
"Believe me, I am anything but nice."  
"Oh yeah? What about the whole chivalry act? Carrying me around the school like a bride thing? Thanks to you, I may not be Mary anymore, but I'll be a Mary Magdalene!"  
"Do Biblical references annoy you that much?" Edward asked me, which frustrated me even more.

"That's not even an argument, Edward."

"Well please do enlighten me on what a proper argument would before you so I can respond accordingly," He seemed on the verge of laughing at me. Like I was some kind of an idiot.

"Why do you insist on telling me that you are not as hard as stone and cold as hell?"  
"Because I—"  
Just before he could reply, he grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the infirmary, away from the nurse's disapproving glare and my sister and his brothers' eavesdropping ears. When we go out to the hall, he dropped my arm almost immediately and sighed. I frowned at him and crossed my arms over my chest. I may have looked like a three year old, but I couldn't help myself. Edward Cullen was being impossible. Though there was no way I could look away from him, there was no way I could like him either at this moment. He closed his eyes for a moment and opened them, the gold resting on my face. I always thought his eyes were lighter in color.

"Look, Bella, you've had a very long day. I'll drive you home," he said calmly and coolly. But it didn't help me at all. It just made him look arrogant.

"No thank you, I'll walk," I said, stomping away from him, with my bag and books already with me. I didn't even bother to look back. I couldn't stand to look back. If I did look back and he was looking at me, I knew that I would stop and come running back to him. And if I did look back and he wasn't looking at me at all, it would just hurt too much.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: All characters belong exclusively to Stephenie Meyer. Other standard disclaimers apply.

New York Kids

By: C.K Degu

Chapter Four: Black Heart Inertia

I was almost out of the school when Alice suddenly appeared next to me.

"So," she said, her voice keeping cool and conversational, "according to the gossip the Therese-Ignatius kids have just passed to my sister, you and my brother have a thing."  
"A thing? We don't have a thing, there's no thing." If only there was. No! I mean, no. It was better that there be nothing going on between me and Edward. He looked at me today like I was the stupidest thing in the world. But I knew I wasn't, because my dog can't even realize that his tail is just attached to his bum and that his running around will not solve anything. I however knew otherwise, even if I didn't have a tail. Oh my god. What is wrong with me?

"I mean a bad thing. Everyone heard you arguing in the infirmary. According to Rosalie, you guys were yelling so loud that the fact that Edward carried you to the infirmary like he was your boyfriend just became yesterday's news."  
"How does Rosalie know all this stuff?" I ask Alice as we continue to walk to my place.

"She's pretty much the Queen around at Therese. And St. Ignatius's."

"Great. Another person in your family I'm liking less."  
I thought that Alice would take this badly and get angry with me. She must have. But if she did, she didn't show me any of it. She just laughed it off.

"Don't be like that," she said. "Listen, I'll talk to Edward if you want. I'm sure I can get him to explain his side of the story."  
"No, you don't have to force him into talking to me," I said, shaking my head, "I might not believe him."  
Alice nodded. She seemed to understand what I meant. We reached the hotel that my sister and I were living in (much more convenient than an apartment in New York) and she waved goodbye.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Bella!"

"If I even decide to come to school tomorrow."  
Alice's melodious laugh followed her all the way down the street. I shook my head and went upstairs to start with my homework.

"Bella," My sister said as she came into m room without knocking. "Rumor has it that you and Edward just broke up in the hallway."  
"We're not even together!" I found myself exclaim, my voice higher pitched than I expected it to come out. And the thought of me and Edward together sent unexpected shivers down my spine. And it wasn't a bad thought. NO. Wait. I hated Edward. No, hate is too strong a word. I didn't hate Edward Cullen. I couldn't. He annoyed me. And confused me.  
"Okay, okay," Elizabeth said, shaking her head and snapping me out of my thoughts. "Just checking. Goodnight, Bella."  
"Goodnight."

"Oh, and Alice just called. She wanted me to tell you to call her as soon as it happens."  
"As soon as what happens?" I asked my sister, and she just smiled and shrugged. She was such a bad liar.

"Beats me."  
Just as the door closed behind her, I heard something in the fire escape that was in my room. I immediately turned my head and saw Edward standing inside my room, the curtains by the window blowing into the room. I didn't jump. I just stared at him.

"Bella," he breathed. I didn't say anything. I couldn't say anything. How did he even get up here? It must be at least five stories high. Being afraid of heights, I should know. I couldn't stand outside in the fire escape without shaking. And here he was.

"I wanted to… apologize for the way I spoke to you earlier. It was uncalled for, my rudeness. I'm sorry. But if only you knew…then maybe you could understand."  
"You can always tell me. I can keep a secret." At least, I always thought so. I'm pretty sure that I'm a good secret keeper.

"If only I could."  
"Edward, you can trust me. I mean, I know we don't know each other that well, but I like you. I like you a lot. And I feel that I can be myself around you, which doesn't happen with a lot of people. I can be safe with you."

Hearing this, Edward smiled almost bitterly and came closer to me. He touched my cheek, his hand as cold as ice, and he hesitated a little. I bit my lip, not sure what he was doing. Seeing me, he smiled a little. He breathed into my face, and it made me laugh, ticklish as I was. Edward leaned forward a little, his lips pressing onto mine ever so lightly before pulling back too soon. I stared at him. Butterflies were turning into huge eagles in my stomach.

"That's it?" I asked, the words slipping out before I could think. And Edward laughed even more, but didn't say anything in reply.

"Not that I didn't…uhm…" Like it?

"It's strange," he said, taking my hand, seemingly testing it against his own. "I can't seem to stay away from you."

"Me too," I managed to say. Embarrassed, yes. For sure. Edward's hand relaxed on mine, and I suddenly found it…comforting.

And that was all it took. With one touch, I knew Edward Cullen would stay. He wasn't annoying. He was anything but that. He was sweet, smart and kind, and not to mention absolutely sexy (that's how every other girl in school put it, at least). But he mystified me more now than ever.

Slowly, cautiously, like any sudden move would destroy the quiet moment, Edward pulled me into his arms. It was like hugging concrete. Cold concrete. So I was right.

"So," said Edward, " I guess this time, the gossip was right."

I laughed at him. "Now I know you aren't interested in gossip. According to the latest news, we've broken up."

This he found absolutely hilarious and walked to the window, looking out at the city skyline. I put on a sweater and looked at it.

"Pretty," I said, leaning my head against the window pane.

"Beautiful," he corrected me, and when I turned to look at him, he was actually looking at me. As the blush crept to my cheeks, I felt him reach for my hand again. I stifled a yawn and he smiled.

"I think its time for me to go," he said, carrying me for the second time today. This time I wrapped my arms around his neck and rest my head on his shoulder. It was like hugging a marble statue sculpted by the Gods. That sounded too much, but that was what he was.

"No, stay," I asked him, already giving in to the inevitable darkness of sleep and dreams.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said as he gently lay me on the bed. He placed a light kiss on my forehead.

"Sweet dreams, Bella," he said softly, his voice almost too low for me to hear. His finger brushed my cheek.

"You too, Edward," I said as my eyes fluttered closed. He tucked me in, and without any other sound, left. The window was closed the next morning.

But much later that night, I heard a very annoying voice on my bed. There was also something bouncing. And it was calling my name.

"What? What? What time is it?" I said, sitting up in the dark, looking around and waving my hands in the dark. I hit something cold, and I was sure that it was my sister. She freezes in the dark. And sometimes in the day too.

"Two AM? You woke me up at two am? This HAS to be good," I said, whining, bringing my hands against my covers. And then my sister started laughing at me! What good is it to just come into my room and wake me up at two in the morning and then LAUGH?

"Okay, I'm going back to bed, and I'm not talking to you anymore," I groaned, just about to sleep again when Elizabeth pulled me back up.

"I actually had an idea," she told me, still laughing.

"An idea about what?" I asked, my eyes already drooping. I was pretty sure I was dreaming now.

"How I can get you and Edward in good terms again!" she exclaimed, clapping her hand with glee.

"Quick. Give me. Genius plan." I managed to mumble.

"A DINNER PARTY!!"

"Ow. Goodnight." I couldn't stand this. I need my sleep.

"I'll tell the Cullens tomorrow! We can have dinner at Butter so you and Edward can smooth things over. Don't worry about reservations, I'm sure Rosalie and Alice can stare the maitre'd down to get us a table. And Emmett and Jasper can just carry Edward all the way to the restaurant."  
"Sounds good." I said, wondering if I was dreaming that my sister was talking about a dinner party at Butter.  
"Oh, were you sleeping, Michie-love?"

Okay, now I know I'm dreaming. I felt myself fall back into bed and my sister leaving the room.

And then it was morning. And my window was closed.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: All characters belong exclusively to Stephenie Meyer. Other standard disclaimers apply.

Sorry this took a while. I just came back from a vacation in Shenzen. 

New York Kids

By: C.K Degu

Chapter Five: I Want To Hold Your Hand

"EDWARD!" I exclaimed as I ran into school about another week later. He was just standing by the stairs and reading a book. Hearing me call him, he looked up and smiled.

"Bella?" He asked as I stood in front of him, breathing hard. Because I found out that I wasn't dreaming that night. My sister had been in my bed, calling me Bellie-love like she was some kind of European and arranging a dinner for us and Edward's family tonight at Butter.

"And do you know how I found out?" I asked him, striding across the space in front of him as he just stared at me, very much amused at me.

"No, I don't know. But how about you sit down over here and tell me?" He asked, smiling and patting the concrete space next to him. This made me blush and sit down next to him. Wow. He looked really handsome today.

"When I came out of the bathroom this morning, I found a gorgeous dress in a dry cleaning bag with a Post-it attached to it saying 'Butter at seven. Wear the dress.'" I said, as if it was self-explanatory.

"Don't you think it was nice of Elizabeth to arrange all of this for us?" Edward pointed out to me.

"But the dress!"

"I highly doubt that any dress would make you less beautiful than you already are," He said. And I stared at him. And that seemed to get the message across.

"But that's not the point," he said.

"No, it's not," I replied, looking away from his tantalizing eyes. They were a darker gold now, much like the sunset.

"Relax Bella," he said with a smile, "the worst that could happen is that we reconcile."

"Good point," I answered, nodding.

"So it's settled. You put on a gorgeous dress, look even more beautiful than you already do and then you knock me off my socks at Butter tonight. And we'll make this work."

"You make us sound like a machine."

"Bella!" And then he laughed. And I smiled. And to me, it kind of felt like he was right. Everything was going to be okay.

"Aw, you guys are just so sweet!" Alice exclaimed as the five of us walked the hallway of our hotel. It was after dinner at Butter, and somehow Edward and I officially announced that we were together. It was nice to finally be able to call him my boyfriend in front of my sister and my friends. And his brothers and sisters.

But the weird thing was, although Alice, Jasper and Emmett were happy, it seemed that Rosalie and Elizabeth looked enraged. And they didn't speak to me or Edward the whole night. And now as we walked to the hallway, Alice filled the room with her own chatter. Edward didn't talk much, or rather didn't feel the need to, and neither did I.

"So Alice, Edward, you guys wanna come in for some coffee?" Elizabeth offered, the first words she spoke after dinner. At this point, Edward was rubbing a circle in my hand with his thumb, which was very distracting.

"Nah, apparently I have a report to do. And just when I thought that Therese could torture me any further," Alice said, rolling her eyes a little. "Edward, you want to take me home?"

Edward looked up, and switched his eyes from Alice to Elizabeth so quickly that I almost didn't see it. He frowned a little and let my hand go, leaving it colder than it was earlier.

"Yeah. Okay Alice," he said and then turned to me. "I'll see you tomorrow, Bella. Goodnight."

I couldn't hide my disappointment and nodded. Edward leaned in and kissed me on the cheek, leaving my knees shaking.

"I'll be in your room," he said, whispering so lowly that I almost didn't catch it. But I blushed anyway and smiled.

"Goodnight Edward."

And after we all said goodnight to each other, Elizabeth and I entered the hotel room. The way she was throwing her coat to the side and tossing her keys in the basket by the door meant that she was annoyed. Or maybe even angry.

"Are you mad or something?" I asked my sister as she paced the living room.

"No."

"No?"  
"No. I'm not. I have no right to be, of course not! But that doesn't mean that I can't be, but—"  
I grabbed my sister by the shoulders and shook her a little, which was almost impossible since she was bigger, rather, older than me.

"What is wrong with you?" I asked her. She blinked and looked at me.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong. I just…okay. I'm going out for a walk."

"What, now?"

"Yes."

"Is it safe?"

"I'll be perfectly fine on my own. Lord knows I'm more capable," she said, leaving the room.

"But it will make me feel so much better if Emmett came along!"

"He's coming! He's coming!"

Once my sister was out the door, I sat down on the couch and sighed. Tonight was a little weird. There was a point in the dinner that nobody was talking, just sitting there and staring at each other. And nobody ate a single bite. I finished my food. Edward took a bite of his food, and that was all. Everyone else just kind of swirled their very expensive food around. Which was weird.

I was just about to start doing something to stop this weird train of thought when Edward emerged from my room. How did he do that? He was always in my room, every night. We always talked, looking out at the skyline. And once, he even took me out to the fire escape for the first time. He held my hand the whole time, and I wasn't so scared. "Bella?" he asked, pulling me off the couch. "Were you hiding from me?"  
"Not really," I confessed, as he twirled me around like we were dancing.

Speaking of dancing…

"So," I said, "did I tell you that my parents are throwing me a cotillion?"  
"A cotillion?" he asked, still holding onto me, "that sounds nice. But aren't you already too old?"

"Me? No, I'm only seventeen. And they like having balls and stuff. Did I tell you that one of my sisters had a cotillion twice just because she apparently didn't look pretty enough in the last one?"

"That's an interesting story," he said, laughing low in his throat.

"This was actually me asking you to be my date?" I said, looking up at him expectantly, batting my eyelashes and smiling. And this made him laugh at me even more.

"Of course," he replied, "did I ever tell you how good I look in a tux?"

"Edward!"

"What?"

I didn't find anything more to say, just grunted a little. There was a strange twisting in my stomach at the moment. Edward and I sat down at the couch, me putting my feet up at the coffee table.

"Edward," I said, crossing my arms over my chest, "are you hungry or anything? I didn't see you eat much at Butter, and the food was great."

"No, I'm fine," he said, sounding almost confused at my question.

"Come to think of it, everyone else didn't eat much either…"

And then he just looked at me, almost alarmed at my line of thinking. So I decided that I should just keep going.

"And what is it in the air and the sun in New York that everyone is pale and cold? I looked at an old family picture we had, and Elizabeth looked different. She didn't use to be pale and so…pretty. She barely looks like me anymore. And we used to look a lot alike. She looks more like you now. I asked her about it once, and she said she's wearing contacts now. And she's always hated the sun, but that's not it."

"Bella…"  
"And why is it that you're so strong? I mean, okay, so you have rock hard muscles and body parts thick as a concrete wall that I've crashed into. But I saw you carry Emmett on your back at the parking lot in Butter. I know you're strong, but Emmett is HUGE. And I gained five pounds recently, and you carry me around all the time."

"Bella!" He exclaimed, grabbing my waving hands and setting them down on the couch. My eyes grew wide in surprise. He's never done this before.

"Edward, what's going on?" I asked him, questions coming out and blurting out of me before I could process. "Why does it feel like everyone's keeping a secret from me?"

"Because we are," Edward said, his hands relaxing their grip on me until he fully let go. He sighed heavily and closed his eyes, rubbing his marble hands over them. He almost looked like a statue right now.

"What?" I asked, almost surprised that I was right. I gave him a moment to compose himself, and then he sat back up, leaning against the couch.

"I'm a hundred years old," he said calmly and completely cool. "I haven't drunk human blood in ninety years. I'm a vampire, Bella. And never in my hundred years of living have I ever met anyone like you. You make me laugh, you make me so happy. You're the only human I know whose mind I can't read as easily. And you…you dazzle me. I haven't been this happy in a hundred years. And if I could, I would spend the rest of my life with you."

And I told him the truth. The only words that I knew I said and meant at this moment.

"Is this your subtle way of telling me that you love me?"

"And that I'm a vampire."

"Yes. You're a vampire."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: All characters belong exclusively to Stephenie Meyer. Other standard disclaimers apply.

Sorry this took a while. I just came back from a vacation in Shenzen. 

New York Kids

By: C.K Degu

Chapter Six: Chasing Pavements

And that was that. I didn't know anything about vampires, but I know that they were supposed to be dangerous, but I wasn't afraid. If they were in any way dangerous, they would have bitten me or killed me by now. But they didn't. Edward was still Edward Cullen. And—HOLD ON.

"Does that mean that Rosalie and Jasper—" I began, and Edward answered immediately.

"Yes."

"And Alice and, and Emmett—"

"Yes."

"And my sister?!"

"Yes. A rather complicated step. Emmett just knew that there was no way that he couldn't let her die like that, especially after what had happened." Edward said this as if he was remembering a terrible memory. Something that had truly terrified or vexed him just thinking about it.

"Why, what happened?"

"Not all vampires live on the same…diet as we do."

And then I couldn't say anything else. I was processing this. And the same line of thinking emerged. They were all just the same people I have known. Nothing's changed, except for the fact that I knew the truth about them. My cotillion seemed to be a millennia away at this point. I turned to Edward. He looked a little worried and almost a bit scared. Like I was the one who was going to suck his blood at any moment.

"Edward, I'm not going to run away, if that's what you're thinking," I said to him. I took his hand and pressed it against my lips.

"I love you."

Now that I knew the big Cullen secret, everyone seemed visibly more relaxed when they were around me. Of course they all explained little parts of vampiric life to me. Emmett told me about how they never sleep (which explained my sister's perkiness at two in the morning) and Jasper told me about their immeasurable strength (which he demonstrated by moving an entire building by two inches by just leaning on it). Rosalie told me how it is that vampires had gorgeous looks, speed and grace. She also explained to me that their eyes indicate just how hungry they were. Gold meant that they were satisfied, while the black simply meant that it was time to go hunting. Alice told me how it was that she, Edward had their own powers, like some kind of genetic anomaly. Freaks among freaks as they put it. My sister told me the gritty details of her "transformation", and the Cullens parents, Dr. Carlisle and Esme have been nothing but kind to me and explained a little about their histories.

Yes, I had adjusted to the fact that I was surrounded by vampires. I was related to a vampire. And still, I wasn't afraid. Edward and I only discussed my own transformation once, and we found ourselves at a terrible impasse. I wanted it, he didn't. So I was pretty much annoyed at him that night when he showed up in my room.

"I can't argue with you right now," I told him, storming into the room. I didn't look at him because I didn't want to be angry anymore. But I was still pretty pissed off. "So please, Edward, just leave me alone."  
"I just want you to understand what I'm trying to say," he said pleadingly, "I can't subject you to the horror of my life."  
"Well, I don't want to be a fifty year old woman dating a seventeen year old boy!" I exclaimed, distracting myself by cleaning up my room as I went along. Edward now knew better than to interrupt me while cleaning.

"Do you really think that matters to me?" He asked, rooted to his spot by the window. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he was getting mad.  
"It matters to me," I said, stacking away the magazines, "that all the people I love will not have changed from the first day I met them when I'm lying in my death bed!"

"At least you'll have that."

"Edward! Stop wanting humanity for me! I've seen humanity and it basically SUCKS," I said, ironically tossing a pair of dirty socks into the hamper.

"So that's it? You want me to turn you into a blood sucking animal before your cotillion?" He asked me. And I stopped. I turned to him and watched him. His shoulders were hunched. He looked defeated and desperate. He really didn't want me to give up my mortality just yet. He didn't want me to become a homicidal monster. I left my room half- clean and collapsed on the bed, dead tired. I knew I couldn't have this argument with him today. The impasse was just too hard to deal with right now. I knew what I wanted. I knew what I was afraid of losing. And I understood what Edward was saying, but my fear just made his points seem irrelevant. He sat next to me on the bed. I pulled him next to me so he could lie down.

"You are willing to become a blood-sucking animal at your cotillion?" He asked me, defeated and sad.

"No," I said, pulling him into my arms like it was an easy feat, "I don't want to be a blood sucking animal. I don't want to lose you. That's all I'm afraid of."

"Can we just…take this a step at a time?" he asked, burying his face into my hair. I didn't know why he liked doing that so much. My hair is basically a haystack. Sometimes I thought he did it because he found a pillow back there. "We don't have to make the decisions now. We'll talk about it when it comes. And when it does..."

"We'll decide then," I agreed, pulling him closer. He breathed on me, and it made me feel safe. He removed his face from my hair and stroked my cheek. His finger danced on the bridge of my nose and my eyes instantly fluttered. I was tired.

"Don't leave me," I said to him, about to surrender to the sleep.

"Never."

And in my sleep, I still heard his voice singing low a lullaby he always sang for me at night.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: All characters belong exclusively to Stephenie Meyer. Other standard disclaimers apply.

So this is the story's final chapter. It's really just something of an epilogue. Thanks for reading. 

New York Kids

By: C.K Degu

Chapter Seven: You and I

I thought that I was going to puke with all the white lace, silk, tulle and flowers around me, but I actually thought that it was nice. My hair was far from a haystack as some professional (namely Esme) had pulled and welded it into a beautiful and elegant chignon. Elizabeth clipped a beautiful lily into my hair and Rosalie dusted what felt like fairy dust on my face. Instead of the usual white dresses, I squeezed into a champagne-colored ballgown. I was supposedly ready. "Alright this is it," Elizabeth said to me, "are you nervous?"

I gave my sister a strange look as Emmett snapped a picture. "It's just a walk down a flight of stairs and a dance. How nerve-wracking can it be?"

"Well, there's falling, tripping, tearing, passing out and of course, the classic 'missing escort'."

"Elizabeth, I'm right here," Edward pointed out as he stood next to me. He looked gorgeous in his tux. According to Alice was an Armani. Like it mattered. And apparently I'm wearing a Monique Lhullier, in case anyone was actually curious.

"Who are you wearing honey, you look fabulous!" Rosalie said, coming into the room with Alice and Jasper. According to Esme and Carlisle, since they were pretending that Alice was my age anyway, they decided to let her join the cotillion as well, even if it was already her sixteenth. Alice herself wasn't wearing white. Her dress was ironically blood red, with fake roses all over the skirt.

"Rosalie, you were in the room when Alice and I bought the dresses," I pointed out to her.

"Yes, but saying the name just makes it more special," Rosalie said. Then she turned to Alice, "please try not to fall, trip, tear something or pass out this time. And Jasper will not be missing because he knows what I can do to him if he does decide to abandon you again."  
Alice actually smiled and then gulped.

"Of course Rosalie. Don't worry, Jasper has absolutely no plans of abandoning me just yet."

"Yet being the operative word," Jasper said with a mischievous grin. Emmett looked up and then pointed out that the older ones had to be back in their seats. The cotillion was about to begin. Elizabeth gave me one last hug.

"You look beautiful Bella," she told me just before they left. I clasped on Edward's arm.

"Are you nervous?" I asked him. He smiled and shrugged a little.

"This will not be the first time I escorted someone at a cotillion," he explained to me. "Although this will be the one I would like to remember."  
Just then, Alice and Jasper's names were called. They both practically bounced out to start their ceremonial dance and stair trip.

"Are YOU nervous?" Edward asked me, amusedly.

"Me? No. Although I did tell you my reputation for falling on a flight of stairs right? And my two left feet?" I asked him. Why was I so nervous about this? Granted, I was worried that I would look bad next to Edward, but I'd never had a problem with stairs before. Maybe the heels were just making me woozy. I wasn't used to this much height.

"You seemed fine when we were practicing," he pointed out to me.

"Thus the term practice," I said to him. He laughed a little.

"When I told you my secret you weren't at all scared. But at this, you are terrified," he said.

"We just have different perspectives, that's all."

"Miss Isabella Marie Swan escorted by Mister Edward Masen Cullen," the announcer called, and Edward and I stepped forward. People clapped politely while I heard Elizabeth, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper and Alice all whoop, whistle and cheer for us. Edward and I started to make our way down the stairs slowly when suddenly, I could feel myself losing balance. But before I actually fell, he scooped me into his arms and we both continued down the stairs gracefully. And people clapped even more until we reached the dance floor. I smiled at him as we took out positions.

"Always a crowd-pleaser, aren't you?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow. He gave me a brilliant smile. "You do know that I love the attention."

And then the music started to play. I smiled and closed my eyes at the familiar sound of my lullaby. Edward sang softly in my ear as we both glided effortlessly across the floor.

And as we both stood still, at that end of the song, we looked at each other. The impasse no longer existed. He lowered his lips into mine and softy kissed me.

Fini.


End file.
